July 25, 2011   10:40 ET

As a convenience to Ontario consumers and visitors, approximately 350 LCBO stores across the province will be open on the civic holiday, Monday, August 1, 2011. Many LCBO agency stores, beer stores and Ontario winery stores will also be open.

The civic holiday is not a statutory holiday under Ontario’s Retail Business Holidays Act. Liquor, beer and wine stores can open, provided local municipalities do not object. Traditionally, LCBO and beer stores in cottage and resort areas have opened on the civic holiday, in communities that either do not observe the holiday or observe it later in the year.

All LCBO stores will observe their normal business hours on Saturday, July 30 and Sunday, July 31. In the selected LCBO stores that will open on August 1, business hours will be posted in advance to notify customers.

LCBO’s Contact Centre will be open on the civic holiday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. All other LCBO offices will be closed. Customers should check for individual store hours with their local LCBO store or online at www.lcbo.com using the 'Store Search' feature. They can also contact the toll-free, bilingual LCBO Contact Centre at 1-800-ONT-LCBO (668-5226) or online at www.lcbo.com/service . In Toronto, call 416 365-5900. The TTY number for people who are deaf or hard of hearing is 416 864-6898 or 1-800-361-3291.

Over the summer, the LCBO reminds customers to please drink responsibly and to never consumer alcohol when driving or boating. A new, summer-themed Deflate the Elephant social responsibility TV commercial will air across Ontario on Citytv and CP24 the week leading up to the long weekend. In addition, an alcohol-free Mocktail demonstration video and responsible hosting summer tips are available at www.deflatetheelephant.com.

Please bring a reusable bag when shopping at the LCBO and take your empty beverage alcohol containers (large and small glass bottles, PET plastic, Tetra Pak cartons, bag-in-box and cans) to The Beer Store for a full deposit refund.